100 11th Street Condominiums, Chelsea, New York by Jean Nouvel

Yesterday, I wrote about the IAC building in Chelsea, New York. Today, I wanted to point out a building that is just underway right across the street from the IAC called 100 11th Ave. It’s a condominium project designed by another world famous architect, Jean Nouvel. My feelings about this building (at least how it’s shown on the boards) is much more hopeful than the impression I had with the IAC building. This my first impression of this building is it looks like a curved Tetris puzzle come to life.

The facade is made up of thousands of oddly shaped panels that jut slightly in and out creating striking shadow patterns within the interiors of the units. The concept to create such a facade, I believe, is inspired by the sculptural quality this building will have as the sun passes over the building from morning to night. Another way of looking at this project is because of its faceted jewel-like quality it could be described as the worlds largest piece of bling. Regardless, of what people’s opinions are of the building, it appears to be extremely experimental on a grand scale and I commend the architect and the whole design team on taking a chance.